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A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 24 February 2018

Cash-strapped Venezuela faces eviction from Miami consulate

By JOSHUA GOODMAN ing in the ritzy Brickell neigh- ela’s government, which discovered the eviction no- but to trek to New Orleans
Associated Press borhood was filed Feb. 15 owned the building until tice on Thursday. to cast ballots in that year’s
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — in a Miami-Dade county 2005, when it sold it for $70 The government’s consul- tight presidential election.
Venezuela’s cash-strapped court. The landlord, a de- million. ate occupied a single floor Even though it has re-
government faces eviction veloper behind Miami’s tall- “The fact Venezuela can’t in the building until the late mained closed the gov-
from a Miami building it est high-rise, the still being come up with such a small Hugo Chavez closed its ernment kept paying the
once owned after its con- built Panorama Tower, said amount of cash tells you doors in 2012 amid a dip- almost $21,000 monthly
sulate failed to pay rent Venezuela owes $142,119 what dire straits they’re in,” lomatic dispute with the rent on the property until
since August. in unpaid rent. said Russ Dallen, a Miami- U.S. The move left the large August.
The notice demanding the The potential eviction is a based investor specializing exile community in south The real estate reckoning
consulate vacate the build- major reversal for Venezu- in Venezuelan bonds who Florida with no other option isn’t limited to Miami.q
University experts to lead Puerto Rico storm death review

By DANICA COTO ficials have rejected media
Associated Press reports that suggest hun-
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico dreds of people died as a
(AP) — Puerto Rico’s gov- direct result of the storm,
ernor announced Thursday and Rossello called for a re-
that a team of experts at view of the death toll in late
George Washington Uni- December.
versity will lead an inde- The current toll includes
pendent, in-depth review some of those who died
to determine the number from heart attacks, suicide
of deaths caused by Hurri- and respiratory failure, but
cane Maria amid accusa- one report by researchers
tions that the U.S. territory including the director of
has undercounted the toll. applied demography at
The team, led by the dean Pennsylvania State Universi-
and an epidemiologist of ty estimates that there were
the university’s school of nearly 500 excess deaths in
public health, expects to Puerto Rico in September.
have a preliminary report Victims’ relatives note the
in three months and a final storm left the entire island
report in one year. of 3.3 million people with-
“We will call it as we see it,” out power, including those
said Dean Lynn Goldman. The foundation of a heavily damaged house stands amid broken trees in the mountains after the in hospitals and nursing
“That I promise you.” passing of Hurricane Maria in the San Lorenzo neighborhood of Morovis, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico’s homes who relied on res-
The administration of Gov. governor Ricardo Rossello said Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018, that experts at George Washington Uni- pirators and other electric
Ricardo Rossello had main- versity will lead an in-depth review to determine the number of deaths caused by Hurricane Maria equipment.
tained that 64 people died amid accusations that the U.S. territory has undercounted the toll. The first phase of the review
as a result of the Category (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) will cost the government
4 hurricane that hit on Sept. fell below usual in October. possible funeral home and saster. $305,000, officials said,
20 with winds of up to 154 Rossello said his administra- hospital visits and interviews “Worldwide, these meth- adding that the second
mph (248 kph). But critics tion wants to rely on the with family members and ods are not sufficiently de- phase could cost up to
have said the death toll is most up-to-date science to doctors. veloped,” she said, add- $1.1 million and be paid for
much higher, noting that get more clarity about the The team also will review ing that she will be working through grants given that
a spike in the number of number of victims. mortality records from the alongside Puerto Rican of- the U.S. territory is mired in
deaths after the storm was “I want to know the truth,” past 10 years to calculate ficials. an 11-year recession and
not normal. Puerto Rico re- he said. “It’s important for possible excess deaths and “Despite the best efforts of struggling to restructure a
corded an official average those who have lost loved analyze the process that many people to care for portion of its $73 billion pub-
of 82 deaths a day in the ones.” Puerto Rico used to count people in the aftermath lic debt load.
two weeks before Maria hit. Goldman said the team victims. She said the type of this disaster...it hasn’t al- Epidemiologist Carlos San-
The number increased to will review all deaths from of research her team will ways been possible for the tos warned that the team
117 a day after the storm September until the end of be doing could lead to an records to be kept in a way likely won’t have a specific
pummeled the island in February, relying on death improved U.S. model for es- that they normally are.” number to offer once their
mid-September and then certificates in addition to timating deaths after a di- Puerto Rico government of- review ends. q

Argentina: Drug seizure at Russian embassy leads to arrests

By A. CALATRAVA yearlong investigation into citizens Alexander Chikalo, to catch the criminals: They people from the border
Associated Press an international drug ring, who is suspected of being swapped cocaine for flour police to buy the 389 kilo-
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina officials said Thursday. in charge of the logistics, and placed a GPS to track grams of flour to the central
(AP) — A former Russian Argentine Security Minister and police officer Ivan the luggage. market (in Buenos Aires)
diplomatic official and Patricia Bullrich said the Blizniouk, who is accused of “This has been one of the because no one had 389
an Argentine police offi- 860 pounds (389 kilograms) providing contacts to jump most complex and extrav- kilograms in a warehouse,”
cer were among those ar- of cocaine were hidden through customs controls. agant drug-dealing op- she said. “The drugs never
rested in connection with inside luggage that was Once authorities confirmed erations that Argentina has traveled to Russia. Only the
a large cocaine seizure at seized in December 2016. that there were drugs in- faced”, Bullrich said at a flour traveled.”
the Russian embassy in Bue- Authorities on Wednesday side the 16 pieces of lug- press conference. The luggage was flown to
nos Aires that prompted a arrested Russian-Argentine gage, they devised a plan “At 3 a.m. we had to send Russia in 2017. q